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Mental Health in Mississippi

Date:
Friday, March 28, 2014

Time:
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Place:
MC Law Auditorium | 151 East Griffith St | Jackson, MS 39201

Moderator:
Jonathan Will
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs & Faculty Development, Professor of Law, Founding Director of Biothetics & Health Law Center

Video:

Panelists

Reb Mcmichael

Not right from the beginning, but from just shortly after that, he grew up in Jackson County, on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, out from Ocean Springs. He went to St. Martin Elementary and Junior High School, where he had some wonderful teachers. Then he went to Biloxi High School, where he also had some great teachers.

Then he went to some other, pretty good schools (like Yale (BA), Harvard (M. Theological Studies), and Ole Miss (Medical School) [parenthetical added by moderator against modesty of Dr. McMichael :-] until he landed at Mississippi State Hospital at Whitfield in 1985. He is board certified in psychiatry and neurology, and holds a subspecialty certification in forensic psychiatry. He has been the Service Chief of Forensic Services at Whitfield since 1990. After all that education and experience, anything he still does not know about his job is pretty much just due to personal shortcomings.

Larry Swales

Mr. Swales is the Rankin County Chancery Clerk. He has served as Chancery Clerk for the past seven years. Before Mr. Swales was Chancery Clerk, he served as a Rankin County Supervisor for 20 years. As you can see, he has been a public servant for many years. He enjoys his job because of the challenges, but mostly because of the rewards of helping people most.

Shanna L. McLaurin

Ms. McLaurin has been employed with the Rankin County Chancery Clerk for 15 years; currently in charge of Civil Commitments for the county. There are 2 specific types of commitments: Alcohol &/or Drug Commitments and Mental Commitments, both being filed in the Chancery Court Office. After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Social Services from Belhaven University, Shanna has a compassion for people and seeks to do all she can to help those in need. Working diligently with Region 8 Mental Health Facility, the courts are able to assist the families in Rankin County who seek to rehabilitate and/or stabilize their lives.

Sandra Caron

Sandra Caron is an individual living with serious mental illness. In recovery, Sandra is certified by the Department of Mental Health as a trainer for the Peer Specialist program. As the Chair of the NAMI Consumer Council, an Advisory body to the NAMI Board of Directors, Sandra continues to advocate for Consumer Rights.

Nena Williams

For over 19 years, Ms. Williams has been an intricate part of the Region team. She began her career with Region 8 after graduating from Mississippi College. She has been a behavior specialist, center assistant coordinator and coordinator at Region 8 and has served Region 8 as the Clinical Director since October 1998. She is a licensed Mental Health and Marriage and Family Therapist and continues to provide therapy when needed.

As Clinical Director, she has shown exemplary leadership ability in supporting the entire clinical staff in every manner possible. It is not unlike her to come to the office earlier and leave later than most. She has a compassion for the consumers that Region 8 serves and has served on many committees such as the Department of Mental Health’s Strategic Planning Committee, President of the PLACE Board, 2011-2014 President of the MH-IDD Conference Planning Council, and has received numerous awards at Region 8, including Region 8’s Commissioners Award. Ms. Williams has earned the respect of those who work with her as well as those in the field of community mental health. She is very dedicated to Region 8 and to the consumers she serves.

Blake Bell

Blake Bell, JD joined the Mississippi State Medical Association as counsel and legislative liaison in 2011. Mr. Bell brought a wealth of experience in grassroots organizing and campaigns from his work at the Leadership Institute, a national political think-tank based in DC, prior to law school. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of South Florida and his Doctor of Jurisprudence from Mississippi College School of Law. Mr. Bell is a member of the Mississippi Bar, American Society of Medical Association Counsel, Jackson Young Lawyers, Federalist Society, Phi Delta Phi Legal Honor Society, Defense Research Institute and an active member of his church.

Zandrea Ware

Zandrea King Ware, Esq. is the Chief Executive Officer for the Mississippi Association of Community Mental Health Centers. Ware graduated from Mississippi College School of Law in 2010. Prior to receiving her law degree, Ware graduated magna cum laude from Mississippi State University. She also attained a master’s degree in Counseling from The University of Memphis. Ware is extensively involved in mental health policy issues on the state and federal level. Ware has served on mental health legislative study committees, testified at numerous state hearings on behalf of mental health providers and their clients, and has spearheaded a number of mental health advocacy events in her role as CEO.

Stacey Tovino

Stacey A. Tovino, JD, PhD, currently serves as the Lincy Professor of the Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her teaching and research interests lie in the areas of tort law, health law, bioethics, and the medical humanities. Educated as both a lawyer and a humanist, Professor Tovino publishes her interdisciplinary work in textbooks, casebooks, edited readers, law reviews, medical and science journals, and ethics and humanities journals. Recent law review publications include articles in the Richmond Law Review, Houston Law Review, Florida State University Law Review, Penn State Law Review, Harvard Journal on Legislation, and Harvard Journal of Law and Gender, among many other general and specialty journals. Prior to joining the faculty at Boyd, Professor Tovino served as Director of the Health Law and Policy Center and Associate Professor of Law at Drake University Law School (2008-10); Assistant Professor of Law at Hamline University School of Law (2006-08); Visiting Assistant Professor, Research Professor, and Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston Law Center (2003-06); and attorney in the Health Industries Group of the Houston office of the international law firm Vinson & Elkins (1997-2003). During her practice, Professor Tovino represented physicians, scientists, allied health professionals, general and special hospitals, academic medical centers, organ procurement organizations, blood banks, AIDS clinics, and nonprofit health care organizations in civil and regulatory matters.